Proximity sensor with integrated als

ABSTRACT

A semiconductor package that is a proximity sensor includes a light transmitting die, a light receiving die, an ambient light sensor, a cap, and a substrate. The light receiving die and the light transmitting die are coupled to the substrate. The cap is coupled to the substrate forming a first chamber around the light transmitting die and a second chamber around the light receiving die. The cap further includes a recess with contact pads. The ambient light sensor is mounted within the recess of the cap and coupled to the contact pads. The cap includes electrical traces that are coupled to the contact pads within the recess coupling the ambient light sensor to the substrate. By utilizing a cap with a recess containing contact pads, a proximity sensor can be formed in a single semiconductor package all while maintaining a compact size and reducing the manufacturing costs of proximity sensors.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

The present disclosure is directed to a proximity sensor including alight transmitter, a light receiver, and an ambient light sensor.

Description of the Related Art

As consumer demand increases for smaller electronic devices with largescreens, semiconductor packages must be made as small as possible to usethe available space within the electronic device. For example, asemiconductor package may be a proximity sensor. More specifically, theproximity sensor may contain both a light transmitter and a lightreceiver. In the proximity sensor, the light transmitter and the lightreceiver are isolated from one another. In other words, the lightreceiver and light transmitter are positioned in the proximity sensorpackage such that the light receiver only receives light from the lighttransmitter under certain circumstances. For example, the lighttransmitter emits pulses of light at a frequency to detect when a bodypart or face of the user comes near a cellphone. The light transmitterwill emit a pulse of light at a certain frequency which will bereflected by a user's face or body part when the user comes close to theproximity sensor. The reflected transmitted light is then received bythe light receiver. Once the light receiver receives the reflected lightoriginally emitted from the light transmitter, the proximity sensordetects that a user is in close proximity of the screen and turns offthe cellphone screen or locks the device to avoid undesired inputs.

Ambient light can disrupt this process. More specifically, ambient lightcan cause the cellphone or the electronic device to malfunction or lockup at undesired times. For example, if the light receiver receivesambient light at a similar frequency that it is calibrated to bereceived from the reflected light originally emitted from the lighttransmitter, the screen of the cellphone or the electronic device maylock up due to an incorrect determination by the light receiver.Therefore, it is desired to have an ambient light sensor to make surethat the ambient light is taken into account while the light receiver istaking readings to determine if a user is close to a screen of acellphone or an electronic device. In turn, in order to avoid undesireddeterminations by the light receiver, the electronic device or cellphonehas to contain a first semiconductor package that includes a lighttransmitter and a light receiver, and a second semiconductor packagethat includes an ambient light sensor.

Also, an ambient light sensor is helpful within a cellphone or anelectronic device with a screen because the ambient light sensor allowsthe brightness of the screen of the cellphone or the electronic deviceto adapt and change based on various types of ambient lighting. Becausetwo semiconductor packages are needed to make sure an incorrectdetermination by a proximity sensor due to ambient light does not occur,causing the electronic device or cellphone to malfunction or lock up,significant amounts of space are taken up by the two semiconductorpackages that work together as a proximity sensor to avoid inappropriatedetections and determinations.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides semiconductor packages that include alight transmitter, and a light receiver semiconductor dies covered by acap. The cap includes a further semiconductor die in the cap, positionedoverlying the semiconductor die. In one embodiment, the furthersemiconductor die is an ambient light sensor. According to oneembodiment, a package includes a substrate, a first die including alight transmitter, a second die including a light receiver, a third diethat has an ambient light sensor positioned in the cap. The substrateincludes a first side and a second side, the first side being oppositethe second side. The substrate includes contact pads on the first sideand electrical components, the electrical components are coupled thecontact pads. The first die and the second die are both coupled to thesubstrate on the second side. Also, the first die and the second die areadjacent to each other. The contact pads of the substrate will allow thecompleted semiconductor packages to be mounted within an electronicdevice such as a cellphone, a tablet, a computer, or some otherelectronic device. After the first die and the second die are coupled tothe second side of the substrate, electrical connections are formedbetween the dice and the substrate. The electrical connections may bewires, solder, conductive adhesive, or some other electrical connectionsor combinations of electrical connections. The electrical connectionsare coupled to the electrical components of the substrate, and in turn,the dice are coupled to the contact pads of the substrate. Once theelectrical connections are formed between the dice and the substrate, acap is coupled to the substrate and the first die. The cap may becoupled to the substrate and the die by a conductive adhesive, plasticwelding, a non-conductive adhesive or some other coupling technique orcombinations of coupling techniques.

The cap includes a light barrier, two openings, a recess, contact pads,electrical traces, and an ambient light sensor. The contact pads arelocated within the recess of the cap and coupled to the electricaltraces in the cap. The ambient light sensor is positioned in the recessof the cap and is coupled to the contact pads. In turn, the contact padsand the electrical traces couple the ambient light sensor to the firstdie that includes the light receiver and couple the ambient light sensorto the substrate. Furthermore, one of the openings of the cap is alignedwith the light transmitting portion of the first die and the otheropening of the cap is aligned with the light receiving portion of thesecond die. The openings allow for light pass in and out of thesemiconductor package.

By utilizing a cap with a recess that contains contact pads, an ambientlight sensor may be mounted within the cap. In turn, a semiconductorpackage may be formed that includes a first die having a lighttransmitting portion, a second die having a light receiving portion, andan ambient light sensor. Allowing for a proximity sensor that can lock ascreen and change the brightness of the screen without having anyinappropriate determinations or detections by a proximity sensor, allwhile reducing the number of semiconductor packages and the amount ofspace a proximity sensor takes up within an electronic device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, identical numbers identify similar elements or actsunless the context indicates otherwise. The sizes and relative positionsof the elements in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view of a proximity sensor including alight transmitter and a light receiver;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the proximity sensor in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view of an embodiment of a proximitysensor formed utilizing a cap with a recess and an ambient light sensor;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of an alternative embodiment of a completedproximity sensor formed utilizing a cap with a recess and an ambientlight sensor;

FIGS. 5-8 are cross-sectional side view of successive steps of a methodutilizing a cap with a recess and an ambient light sensor to form anembodiment of a completed proximity sensor;

FIG. 9 is an alternative embodiment of a completed proximity sensorformed utilizing a cap with a recess and an ambient light sensor; and

FIG. 10 is an alternative embodiment of a completed proximity sensorformed utilizing a cap with a recess and an ambient light sensor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, certain specific details are set forth inorder to provide a thorough understanding of various embodiments of thedisclosure. However, one skilled in the art will understand that thedisclosure may be practiced without these specific details. In otherinstances, well-known structures associated with electronic componentsand fabrication techniques have not been described in detail to avoidunnecessarily obscuring the descriptions of the embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the specification andclaims that follow, the word “comprise” and variations thereof, such as“comprises” and “comprising,” are to be construed in an open, inclusivesense, that is, as “including, but not limited to.”

The use of ordinals such as first, second and third does not necessarilyimply a ranked sense of order, but rather may only distinguish betweenmultiple instances of an act or structure.

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “anembodiment” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristicdescribed in connection with the embodiment is included in at least oneembodiment. Thus, the appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or“in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification arenot necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, theparticular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined inany suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singularforms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the contentclearly dictates otherwise. It should also be noted that the term “or”is generally employed in its sense including “and/or” unless the contentclearly dictates otherwise.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a semiconductor package 300 that is a proximitysensor 300. The proximity sensor 300 includes a substrate 100, a firstdie 104, a second die 108, electrical connections 106, 112, and a cap114 with apertures 140.

In the proximity sensor 300 the first die 104 is a light transmittingdie 104 and the second die 108 is a light receiving die 108. The lighttransmitting die 104 and the light receiving die 108 are coupled to thesubstrate 100. The light receiving die 108 and light transmitting die104 may be coupled to the substrate 100 by an adhesive. The adhesive maybe a glue, a die attach film, a conductive adhesive, a non-conductiveadhesive, or some other adhesive material or combination of adhesivematerials. The light receiving die 108 includes a light receivingportion 110. The light receiving die 108 and the light transmitting die104 coupled to the substrate 100 are positioned adjacent to each otheron the substrate 100. The substrate 100 may include metal pads 102 thatthe light transmitting die 104 or the light receiving die 108 arecoupled to by an adhesive. The adhesive may be solder or any otherconductive adhesive material or combinations of conductive adhesivematerials. Additionally, the light transmitting die 104 and the lightreceiving die 108 may be electrically coupled to the substrate byelectrical connections 106, 112. The electrical connections 106, 112 maybe conductive wires, solder, or some other electrical connectiontechnique. A cap 114 is coupled to the substrate 100 and a portion ofthe light receiving die 108. The cap 114 is made of an electricallyinsulating material or a non-conductive material. The cap 114 includes apair of apertures 140, which are openings that extend through the cap. Arespective aperture 140 is aligned with the light receiving portion 110of the light receiving die 108 and the other respective aperture isaligned with the light transmitting die 104. A pair of windows 118, 120is coupled to the cap. Each respective window 118, 120 is aligned with arespective aperture 140. Furthermore, each window of the pair of windows118, 120 is made of a transparent material that allows light to passthrough the apertures 140. The cap 114 further includes a light barrier116. The light barrier 116 is a wall of the cap that separates the lightreceiving portion 110 of the light receiving die 108 from the lighttransmitting die 104. More specifically, the light barrier stopscross-talk between the light transmitting die 104 and the lightreceiving portion 110 of the light receiving die 108. In other words,the cap 114 forms two chambers, one respective chamber contains thelight receiving portion 110 of the light receiving die 108, and theother respective chamber contains the light transmitting die 104. Thelight receiving die 108 may have a portion that extends into the secondchamber of the cap 114 that contains the light transmitting die 104.

If the proximity sensor 300 of FIGS. 1 and 2 is mounted within acellphone or an electronic device, another semiconductor package thatcontains an ambient light sensor is often mounted within the cellphoneor electronic device as well. An ambient light sensor package is oftenused because there is a chance of incorrect determinations or detectionsby the light receiving die 108 without taking into account the ambientlight of a room or an external environment when the light receiving dieis determining to lock the screen or not. An ambient light sensorpackage is also used to allow for the cellphone screen or electronicdevice screen to darken or brighten depending on the ambient lightwithin the room or the external environment. The proximity sensor inFIGS. 1 and 2 has only two die and if additional semiconductor packagesare needed, using separate packages for each determination above resultsin higher costs and more space being taken up within the cellphone orelectronic device.

This example illustrates the shortcomings the inventors realized asproblems that should be solved in semiconductor packages similar to theproximity sensor 300, which only contains a light transmitting die 104and a light receiving die 108.

The present disclosure describes proximity sensors 400, 500, 600, 700and the formation of them that overcome many of the shortcomings of theproximity sensor 300 above and other similar proximity sensors. Thepresent disclosure describes various embodiments of proximity sensors400, 500, 600, 700 being formed by utilizing a cap that has a recess forreceiving one or more separate semiconductor die in the same proximitysensor package as a light receiving die and a light transmitting die,all while maintaining the proximity sensors compactness. In oneembodiment, the semiconductor die in the cap is an ambient light sensor,but it can also be an number of other die, such as a display driver, anASIC, a fingerprint sensor, a processor or other die. By incorporatingthe ambient light sensor in the cap of the proximity sensor, the use oftwo semiconductor packages is avoided.

FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of the present disclosure forproviding a proximity sensor 400 including a substrate 200, a lighttransmitting die 204, a light receiving die 208, electrical connections206, 212, third semiconductor die 226. In one embodiment the thirdsemiconductor die is an ambient light sensor, therefore, it will also bereferred to as an ambient light sensor 226, even though it could be anyother type of semiconductor die and a cap 214 with apertures 240 and arecess 228. Having die 226 be an ambient light sensor provides a numberof benefits to provide a compact package because the first die 208contains circuits to process received light and putting the ambientlight sensor permits a low cost and fast way to connect the ambientlight sensor to a die having circuits to process light signals viacontacts from the cap 214 to the substrate 200 and from it to the die208.

In the proximity sensor 400, the light transmitting die 204 and thelight receiving die 208 are coupled to the substrate 200. The substrate200 may be a PCB, a lead frame, or another substrate material. Thesubstrate 200 includes contact pads and electrical components, thecontact pads are coupled to the light transmitting die 204 and the lightreceiving die 208 through the electrical components within the substrate200. For example, if the substrate 200 is a PCB, the substrate will haveseveral various contact pads and electrical traces coupling the lighttransmitting die 204 and the light receiving die 208 to the contact padsof the substrate 200 so the proximity sensor 400 can be mounted withinan electronic device. The electronic device may be a cellphone, alaptop, a calculator, a tablet, or some other electronic device. Thelight transmitting die 204 and the light receiving die 208 may becoupled to the substrate 200 by an adhesive, solder, or some otherattachment or adhesive material.

In this embodiment of the proximity sensor 400, the light transmittingdie 204 is coupled to a metal pad 202 by solder or some other conductiveadhesive. The metal pad 202 is coupled to the electrical traces withinthe substrate 200 which are coupled to the contact pads of the substrate200 so the proximity sensor 400 may be mounted within an electronicdevice. Furthermore, the light transmitting die 204 and the lightreceiving die 208 are coupled to the substrate by electrical connections206, 212. The electrical connections 206, 212 in the proximity sensor400 are conductive wires. However, in alternative embodiments, theelectrical connections 206, 212 may be solder, a ball grid array, orsome other electrical connection or combination of electricalconnections.

In the proximity sensor 400, a cap 214 is coupled to the substrate 200.The cap may be a plastic material, a ceramic material, a non-conductivematerial, an insulating material, or some other non-conductive materialsuitable for forming a cap of a semiconductor package. The cap 214includes a pair of apertures 240, a pair of windows 218, 220, a lightbarrier 216, a recess 228, contact pads 222 within the recess 228 andelectrical traces throughout the cap 214. One respective aperture 240 ofthe pair of apertures 240 is aligned with a light receiving portion 210of the light receiving die 208. The light receiving portion 210 may be alight pixel detector, a photoemission detector, a photoelectricdetector, or some other light sensing detector or light receivingdetector. The other respective aperture 240 of the pair of apertures 240is aligned with the light transmitting die 204. The light transmittingdie 204 includes a light transmitting portion which may be a lightemitting diode (LED) or some other light emitting device. The pair ofwindows 218, 220 has a first window 218 and a second window 220. Thefirst window 218 is coupled to the cap 214 and aligned with therespective aperture 240 that is aligned with the light transmitting die204. The second window 220 is coupled to the cap 214 and aligned withthe respective aperture 240 that is aligned with the light receivingportion 210 of the light receiving die 208. The first and second windows218, 220 are coupled to the cap by glue, an adhesive, or some otheradhesion material or adhesion technique. The recess 228 is locatedbetween the pair of apertures and is aligned with the light barrier 216.The light barrier 216 forms a first chamber around the light receivingportion 210 of the light receiving die 208 and forms a second chamberaround the light transmitting die 204. Furthermore, the recess 228receives an ambient light sensor (ALS) 226. In other words, the ambientlight sensor 226 is placed within the recess 228. The ambient lightsensor 226 is coupled to the contact pads within the recess 228. Theambient light sensor in this embodiment of the proximity sensor 400 iscoupled to the contact pads by solder balls 224. Additionally, therecess 228 is filed with a transparent material that encases the ambientlight sensor 226 and the solder balls 224. The electrical traces throughthe cap 214 form various electrical connections within the proximitysensor 400. For example, the electrical traces may form electricalconnections between the light receiving die 208 and the ambient lightsensor 226, the light transmitting die 204 and the ambient light sensor226, the substrate 200 and the ambient light sensor 226, or any otherelectrical connections that need to be formed to allow the proximitysensor to function appropriately or as needed. The electrical traces arecoupled to the contact pads 222 within the recess 228 of the cap 214.

By positioning the recess 228 between the pair of apertures 240 andaligned with the light barrier 216, the ambient light sensor 226 isincorporated into the cap 214 of the proximity sensor 400. Byincorporating the ambient light sensor 226 in the cap 214, the proximitysensor 400 remains compact. In addition, by incorporating the ambientlight sensor 226 in the cap 214, it removes the need of adding a secondsemiconductor package with an ambient light sensor to a cellphone or anelectronic device. In turn, this reduces the overall cost ofmanufacturing electronic devices that include a proximity sensor becauseonly one semiconductor package is needed to be produced instead of twosemiconductor packages, one containing a light transmitting die and alight receiving die and another containing an ambient light sensor. Inaddition, utilizing this proximity sensor 400 with the ambient lightsensor 226 incorporated in the cap 214, the overall footprint or spacethat the proximity sensor 400 fills within an electronic device issignificantly reduced as well. The die 108 already has a light sensor210.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of an alternative embodiment of a proximitysensor 500. This alternative embodiment of the proximity sensor 500 isvery similar to the embodiment of the proximity sensor 400 in FIG. 3.However, in this alternative embodiment of the proximity sensor 500, theambient light sensor 226 is coupled to the cap 214 within the recess 228by an adhesive, and is electrically coupled to contact pads 222 withinthe recess 228 by a plurality of wires 230 instead of solder balls 224as in FIG. 3.

FIGS. 5-8 are directed to successive steps in a method of formingvarious embodiments of the proximity sensor 400, 500, 600, 700.

FIG. 5 illustrates a substrate 200. The substrate 200 in the processillustrated is a PCB. However, the substrate 200 may be a PCB, a leadframe, or another support material or appropriate substrate material fora semiconductor package. The substrate 200 may be a metal material, aplastic material, a non-conductive material, a conductive material, orsome other combination of conductive and non-conductive materials. Thesubstrate includes contact pads that will be used to couple thecompleted proximity sensor 400, 500, 600, 700 within an electronicdevice. Furthermore, in this embodiment of the proximity sensor 400, thesubstrate 200 includes a contact pad 202. The contact pad 202 willcouple the light transmitting die 204 to the substrate 200.

FIG. 6 illustrates the light receiving die 208 and the lighttransmitting die 204 being coupled to the substrate 200. The lightreceiving die 208 and the light transmitting die 204 are coupled to thesubstrate 200 by an adhesive. The adhesive may be a conductive adhesiveor a non-conductive adhesive. Furthermore, the adhesive may be glue, adie attach film, solder, or some other adhesion or attachment material.In this embodiment of the process, the light transmitting die 204 iscoupled to the contact pad 202 of the substrate 200. The light receivingdie 208 is coupled to the substrate 200 adjacent to the lighttransmitting die 204.

After the light receiving die 208 and the light transmitting die 204 arecoupled to the substrate 200, electrical connections 206, 212 are formedas illustrated in FIG. 7. The electrical connections 206, 212 in thisembodiment of the proximity sensor are a plurality of wires. Theelectrical connections 206, 212 couple the light transmitting die 204and the light receiving die 208 to the electrical components in thesubstrate 200. These electrical components may be electrical traces orelectrical connections that couple the dice 204, 208 to the contact padsof the substrate 200 so the completed proximity sensor 400, 500, 600,700 may be mounted within an electronic device. The electricalconnections 206, 212, which are a plurality of wires in this embodiment,may be formed by wire bonding or some other wire formation technique.The electrical connections 206, 212 may be made of copper, aluminum,gold, nickel, or some other conductive material or combination ofconductive materials. Also, the electrical connections in alternativeproximity sensor embodiments may be formed by solder or some otherelectrical connection technique.

After forming the electrical connections 206, 212, the cap 214 thatincludes the ambient light sensor 226 is formed, and the cap 214 is thencoupled to the substrate 200 and the light receiving die 208 asillustrated in FIG. 8.

The cap 214 may be made of a plastic, a ceramic, a non-conductiveencapsulant material, a non-conductive molding compound material, aninsulating material or some other non-conductive material. Furthermore,the cap 214 may be made of an opaque material, a material that is coatedwith an opaque material, or some other material that does not allowlight to pass through it. The cap 214 may be formed by compressionmolding, injection molding, or some other cap formation technique. Thecap 214 is formed to include contact pads 222 and electrical tracescoupling the contact pads 222 to the substrate 200, to the lighttransmitting die 204 and to the light receiving die 208. Furthermore,the electrical traces will couple the ambient light sensor 226, thesubstrate 200, the light receiving die 208, and the light transmittingdie 204 as appropriate. After the cap 214 is formed, a recess 228 andapertures 240 are formed in the cap 214. The recess 228 is formedbetween the apertures 240. The recess 228 may be a divot, a slot, orsome other recess for receiving the ambient light sensor 226. The recess228 and the apertures 240 may be formed by removing material through asaw, a laser, or some other cutting technique or removal technique.Alternatively, the recess 228 and the apertures 240 may be formed at theexact same time as the cap 214 during the injection molding process orthe compression molding process. Similarly, the apertures 240 may beformed at the same time as the cap 214 during the injection moldingprocess or the compression molding process, and then the recess 228 maybe formed by cutting away or removing material from the cap 214afterwards. Also, in an alternative process, the recess 228 may beformed at the same time as the cap 214 during the injection moldingprocess or the compression molding process, and then the openings may beformed by cutting away or removing material from the cap 214 afterwards.In other words, the components of the cap can be formed in variouscombinations or orders.

Once the recess 228 and the apertures 240 are formed, the ambient lightsensor 226 is coupled to the cap 214. More specifically, the ambientlight sensor is coupled to the contact pads 222 within the recess 228 ofthe cap 214. The ambient light sensor 226 may be coupled to the contactpads 222 by solder balls 224. Alternatively, as shown and describedearlier in FIG. 4, the ambient light sensor 226 may be coupled to thecap 214 by an adhesive, and then coupled to the contact pads byelectrical connections 230, the electrical connections 230 being wires.

After the ambient light sensor 226 is coupled to the cap 214 and thecontact pads 222 within the recess 228, a transparent material is formedin the recess 228 to encase the ambient light sensor 226 and the solderballs 224. By forming a transparent material in the recess 228 thatencases the ambient light sensor 226 and the solder balls 224, theambient light sensor 226 is protected and is mechanically stable withinthe cap 214. The transparent material encasing the solder balls 224 andthe ambient light sensor 226 will protect the solder balls 224 and theambient light sensor 266 from debris and external stresses. Thetransparent material in the recess 228 allows light to pass throughunobstructed so the light can reach the ambient light sensor 226 withinthe recess 228.

Once the transparent material is formed within the recess 228 to encasethe ambient light sensor 226 and the solder balls 224, the windows 218,220 are coupled to the cap 214. More specifically, the windows 218, 220are coupled to the cap by an adhesive material and are aligned with theapertures 240 of the cap 214. The windows 218, 220 are made of atransparent material that allows light to pass through unobstructed sothe light can be emitted by the light transmitting die 204 and can bereceived by the light receiving portion 210 of the light receiving die208. Also, the windows 218, 220 protect light transmitting die 204 andthe light receiving die 208 from external stresses and debris. However,in an alternative process, the windows may be coupled to the cap beforethe ambient light sensor 226 is placed within the recess 228 and coupledto the cap 214.

After the cap 214 is formed, the cap 214 is coupled to the substrate andthe light receiving die 208. The cap 214 may be coupled to the substrate200 by an adhesive, laser welding, laser direct soldering, or some otherconnection technique. The cap 214 includes electrical traces that arecoupled to the contact pads 222 within the recess 228. The electricaltraces form various connections between the dice 204, 208 and theelectrical components within the proximity sensor 400, 500, 600, 700.For example, the electrical traces may form electrical connectionsbetween the substrate 200 and the ambient light sensor 226, theelectrical traces may form electrical connections between the lightreceiving die 208 and the ambient light sensor 226, or the electricaltraces may form electrical connections between the light transmittingdie 204 and the ambient light sensor 226. Additionally, the electricaltraces within the cap 214 may form any other electrical connections orcombinations of electrical connections as desired within the proximitysensor 400, 500, 600, 700. Furthermore, when the cap 214 is coupled tothe substrate 200 and the light receiving die 208, a light barrier 216of the cap 214 forms a first chamber around the light receiving portion210 of the light receiving die 208, and a second chamber around thelight transmitting die 204. The light barrier 216 is a portion of thecap 214. More specifically, the light barrier 216 is a wall of the cap214 that is opaque and does not allow light to pass through it. In otherwords, the light barrier 216 stops cross-talk between the lighttransmitting die 204 and the light receiving portion 210 of the lightreceiving die 208. Once the cap 214 is coupled to the substrate and thelight receiving die 208, a completed proximity sensor 400 is formed.

FIG. 9 is an alternative embodiment of a completed proximity sensor 600.This alternative completed proximity sensor 600 is very similar to thecompleted proximity sensor 400 in FIGS. 3 and 8. However, in thisalternative embodiment, a third window 232 is coupled to the cap 214.The third window 232 is aligned with the recess 228 and the ambientlight sensor 226, and the third window 232 covers the recess 228 and theambient light sensor 226. The third window 232 is made of a transparentmaterial that allows light to pass through unobstructed and protects theambient light sensor 226 from debris and external stresses. Also, thethird window 232 is coupled to the cap 214 by an adhesive.

FIG. 10 is an alternative embodiment of a completed proximity sensor700. This alternative embodiment of the completed proximity sensor 700is very similar to the completed proximity sensor 400 in FIGS. 3, 8 and9. However, in this alternative embodiment, the light receiving die 208extends further into the second chamber that contains the lighttransmitting die 204. The light transmitting die 204 is coupled to asurface of the light receiving die 208 by an adhesive material such asglue, a die attach film or some other adhesive material. Furthermore,the light transmitting die 204 is coupled to the light receiving die 208by an electrical connection 206, which is a wire. By having the lightreceiving die 208 extend further into the second chamber that containsthe light transmitting die, this alternative embodiment of the completedproximity sensor 700 may be made even smaller than the earlierembodiments and alternative embodiments of the completed proximitysensor 400, 500, 600.

Furthermore, in an alternative embodiment similar to FIG. 10, the lighttransmitting die 204 may be an integrated element of the light receivingdie 208. This allows even smaller completed proximity sensors to beformed.

These various embodiments of a proximity sensor 400, 500, 600, 700 areused to determine if an external object or user is close to a screen ofan electronic device or in close proximity of an electronic device ingeneral. However, for discussion purposes, the electronic device willhave a screen. If the proximity sensor determines a user is close to thescreen, the device will lock the screen to avoid unintended inputs. Forexample, if a user is making a phone call with a cellphone, the screenof the cellphone will lock up to avoid inputs while the user is makingthe call. The proximity sensors 400, 500, 600, 700 are able to determineor detect if a user is close to the screen through the combination ofthe light transmitting die 204, the light receiving die 208 and theambient light sensor 226.

The light transmitting die 204 may send out pulses of light or may sendout a continuous stream of light. This light emitted from the lighttransmitting die 204 may be infrared light, ultraviolet light, or someother frequency or range of frequencies of light as desired. As thelight transmitting die 204 emits light, the light is reflected offvarious objects in a room or an external environment. The reflectedlight is received by the light receiving portion 210 of the lightreceiving die 208. However, the light receiving die only determines thatan object is close enough to the screen to lock the screen when thereflected light received is greater than a set threshold value.Therefore, if only a small amount of reflected light is detected by thelight receiving portion 210, and this value is not above the thresholdvalue, the screen of the electronic device does not lock up. However,the ambient light of a room or an external environment may causereadings that are incorrect. But because these proximity sensorembodiments 400, 500, 600, 700 include an ambient light sensor 226, theambient light of a room or an external environment can be compensatedfor. More specifically, when the light receiving die 208 attempts todetermine whether the user is close enough to the screen to warrantlocking the screen, the ambient light sensor 226 measures the amount ofambient light within the room or the external environment. In oneembodiment, the ambient light sensor's 226 measurement of the externalambient light can then be subtracted from measurement of the reflectedlight received by the light receiving portion 210 of the light receivingdie 208. In turn, by having a proximity sensor 400, 500, 600, 700 thatincludes a light transmitting die 204, a light receiving die 208, and anambient light sensor 226 all in one semiconductor package, the screen ofa cellphone or electronic device will not lock up at undesired orunintended times when the user is using the cellphone or electronicdevice due to inappropriate readings or measurements by the various dice204, 208, 226 within the proximity sensor 400, 500, 600, 700. Having thedie 226 provides some benefits in various embodiments. For example, thedie 208 already has a light sensor 210 of one type. The die 208 hascircuits to process light sensing signals received from the sensor 210.The very same circuits can be used for the ambient light sensor 226,thus saving the need for another die having light processing circuits.Further, when the signal from the ambient light sensor 226 is beingsubtracted from or combined with the signal from light sensor 210,having them both on the same substrate 200 and sending signals to thesame die 208 saves space, distance and extra connections. The signalsfrom die 226 can be carried on electrically conductive lines internal tothe cap 214 and connect to the substrate 200 using contact pads betweenthe cap 214 and the substrate 200 where they meet.

Furthermore, in determining whether an external object is close to theelectronic device's screen, the proximity sensor 400, 500, 600, 700 mustbe calibrated to have a threshold value. Once the proximity sensor 400,500, 600, 700 is calibrated to have a specific threshold value, whichmay update continuously or may be a set value, the proximity sensor 400,500, 600, 700 can then determine whether an external object is close theelectronic device's screen. More specifically, the ambient light sensor226 measures an ambient light of an external environment during a firsttime period. During this first time period, the light transmitting die204 does not transmit light to avoid cross-talk between the ambientlight sensor 226 and the light transmitting die 204. After the ambientlight sensor 226 has measured the ambient light of the externalenvironment, the light transmitting die 204 sends out a first frequencyof light during a second period of time. This first frequency of lightmay be pulses of light or may be a continuous stream of light.Additionally, this first frequency of light may be ultraviolet light,infrared light, or some other frequency of light as desired. During thissecond period of time, the ambient light sensor 226 is not takingmeasurements. After the first frequency of light has been emitted fromthe light transmitting die 204, the first frequency of light is thenreflected off the external user. This reflected light is then receivedand measured by the light receiving portion 210 of the light receivingdie 208 during a third period of time. During this third period of time,the ambient light sensor 226 is not taking measurements. Once the lightreceiving die 208 measures the reflected light, a corrected reflectedlight value is calculated. The corrected reflected light value is thedifference between the measurement of the reflected light by the lightreceiving die 208 and the measurement of the ambient light by theambient light sensor 226. Once the corrected reflected light value iscalculated, the corrected reflected light value is compared with thethreshold value. If the corrected reflected light value is greater thanthe threshold value, then the user is in close proximity of theelectronic device's screen and the screen becomes locked. In alternativeembodiments of the method described above, the measurements may be takenin any desired order. In addition, the determination of whether the useris in close proximity to the electronic device's screen may bedetermined by different comparison criteria when comparing the thresholdvalue and the corrected reflected light value.

By utilizing the above method and the embodiments of the proximitysensor 400, 500, 600, 700 disclosed, a compact proximity sensor 400,500, 600, 700 may be formed to include a light transmitting die 204, alight receiving die 208, and an ambient light sensor 226. In turn,allowing for the proximity sensor to correct measurements effected bythe ambient light of an external environment, all while maintaining asmall size and reducing the number of packages that need to bemanufactured to form a complete proximity sensor, and avoiding incorrector inappropriate determinations by the proximity sensor when determiningif a user is close to an electronic device's screen.

The various embodiments described above can be combined to providefurther embodiments. All of the U.S. patents, U.S. patent applicationpublications, U.S. patent applications, foreign patents, foreign patentapplications and non-patent publications referred to in thisspecification and/or listed in the Application Data Sheet areincorporated herein by reference, in their entirety. Aspects of theembodiments can be modified, if as desired to employ concepts of thevarious patents, applications and publications to provide yet furtherembodiments.

These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of theabove-detailed description. In general, in the following claims, theterms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specificembodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should beconstrued to include all possible embodiments along with the full scopeof equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, theclaims are not limited by the disclosure.

1. A semiconductor package, comprising: a substrate; a firstsemiconductor die coupled to the substrate, the first semiconductor diehaving a light sensor; a light transmitter adjacent to the firstsemiconductor die; a cap overlying the first semiconductor die, the capincluding: an electrical insulation layer; a plurality of electricaltraces; a first opening aligned with the light sensor of the firstsemiconductor die; a second opening aligned with the light transmitter;a first transparent material coupled to the cap and aligned with thefirst opening; a second transparent material coupled to the cap andaligned with the second opening; a recess between the first opening andthe second opening; and electrical contacts positioned in the recess ofthe cap, the electrical contacts being coupled to the electrical traces;an ambient light sensor coupled to the electrical contacts andpositioned within the recess of the cap; and a third transparentmaterial encasing the ambient light sensor and filling the recess of thecap.
 2. The semiconductor package of claim 1, wherein the lighttransmitter overlies and is coupled to the first semiconductor die. 3.The semiconductor package of claim 1, wherein the light transmitter iscoupled to the substrate at a location spaced from the firstsemiconductor die.
 4. The semiconductor package of claim 1, wherein thelight transmitter is a second semiconductor die.
 5. The semiconductorpackage of claim 1, wherein the light transmitter is an integratedelement in the first semiconductor die.
 6. The semiconductor package ofclaim 1, wherein the light transmitter is a light emitting diodepositioned on the first semiconductor die.
 7. A semiconductor package,comprising: a substrate; a first semiconductor die including a lightsensor and being coupled to the substrate; a second semiconductor dieincluding a light transmitter, the second semiconductor die adjacent tothe first semiconductor die; a cap coupled to the substrate, the capincluding: electrical traces; a first opening aligned with the lightsensor of the first semiconductor die; a second opening aligned with thelight transmitter of the second semiconductor die; a first transparentmaterial coupled to the cap and aligned with the first opening; a secondtransparent material coupled to the cap and aligned with the secondopening; a recess between the first opening and the second opening; andelectrical contacts positioned in the recess of the cap, the electricalcontacts being coupled to the substrate by the electrical traces; athird semiconductor die coupled to the electrical contacts andpositioned within the recess of the cap.
 8. The semiconductor package ofclaim 7, wherein the third semiconductor die is an ambient light sensorand further comprising: a third transparent material that encases theambient light sensor and fills the recess of the cap.
 9. Thesemiconductor package of claim 8, wherein the third transparent materialis coupled to the cap and aligned with the ambient light sensor and therecess of the cap.
 10. The semiconductor package of claim 9, wherein thethird transparent material and the recess form a chamber surrounding theambient light sensor.
 11. The semiconductor package of claim 7, whereinthe substrate includes contact pads electrically coupled to the cap. 12.The semiconductor package of claim 11, wherein the plurality ofelectrical traces couple the ambient light sensor to the contact pads ofthe substrate.
 13. The semiconductor package of claim 7, wherein the capincludes a light barrier positioned between the light emitting diode andthe light sensor.
 14. The semiconductor package of claim 13, wherein thelight barrier is in contact with a surface of the first semiconductordie.
 15. The semiconductor package of claim 14, wherein the capincluding the light barrier forms a first chamber that encloses a firstportion of the first semiconductor die and a second chamber thatencloses a second portion of the first semiconductor die and the secondsemiconductor die.
 16. The semiconductor package of claim 7, wherein thelight transmitter is a light emitting diode.
 17. A method, comprising:measuring ambient light of an outside environment by an ambient lightsensor in a semiconductor package during a first period of time; storinga value of the ambient light of the outside environment measured by theambient light sensor during the first period of time; emitting a firstfrequency of light by a light transmitter in the semiconductor package,the first frequency of light passing through a first aperture of thesemiconductor package during a second period of time; measuringreflected light from the first frequency of light emitted by the lighttransmitter by a light receiver in the semiconductor package during athird period of time, the reflected light being reflected off anexternal object and passing through a second aperture of thesemiconductor package; and storing a value of the reflected lightmeasured by the light transmitter during the third period of time. 18.The method of claim 17, further comprising determining whether theexternal object is in close proximity to the semiconductor package. 19.The method of claim 17, further comprising calibrating a threshold valueto determine when the external object is in close proximity of thesemiconductor package.
 20. The method of claim 19, further comprisingdetermining a corrected reflected light value by subtracting the valueof the ambient light of the outside environment measured by the ambientlight sensor during the first period of time from the reflected light ofthe first frequency of light measured by the light transmitter duringthe second period of time.